(Excerpt)…”You may find yourself in a place of extreme pain and derision. Perhaps, you don’t have the natural strength to move forward due to all the stress from a situation. Maybe you’re contemplating all the months ahead and wondering how on earth you are going to make it. Perhaps, you don’t have the physical strength to even move forward from all the stress you are experiencing. Do you find yourself in a desert wondering how you are going to provide for your small kids, make the house payments, go to work and function with excellence, to just getting out of bed? You are the very one God wants to speak to right now and take you to the place of totally depending upon Him and trusting Him with your every need. 

God wants to open your eyes to His well of provision just like Hagar saw in the middle of her desert. God not only wants you to have provision but He wants you to be in peace. He tells us in His Word, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV). 

As we trust the Lord, pray, and renew our minds, we find that our emotions do not run wild but rather, we have a calm assurance that God will provide in every area as we wait upon Him. That is the most amazing way to live. 

Not only does God keep us in peace as we keep our mind stayed on Him, but He also provides food. The psalmist tells us, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). The LORD can move on someone’s heart to bring you a meal to providing for you in some manner you least likely expect. Several months ago, I remember I was at an appointment and the doctor was running late. I had a lunch appointment and knew I was not going to have time so I called and cancelled lunch. I also knew if I didn’t get a little something to eat that I would have a headache. 

I remember thinking I would just drive over to the bagel shop and get a toasted bagel for a snack. Just in front of the door, a lady dressed in a warm-up suit asked me if I had some change. I told her I would get some inside. I walked inside and the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart to ask her to join me and buy her lunch. I walked back outside and asked her so we both proceeded through the door together. We began to have casual conversation in line and I asked her what she would like, so we ordered and I paid for it. We sat down and I prayed over our meal and then she began to tell me that she was homeless due to several bad choices. She expressed that she had a good job but lost it due to falling back into some sin and not getting to work on time. I asked her if she had a relationship with Jesus and she said she had heard about him. We ended up praying again and I shared how God had rearranged my day to meet her. I gave her money for a bus, for food, and for a hotel for the night. She told me she stayed off Sugar Creek Road somewhere. I felt compassion for her and her situation. 

On my drive home, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart to go and get a pedicure. Now I can guess that some of you might be thinking, “Why would God tell her to get a pedicure?” God sometimes gives us strange instructions, interrupts our days, and positions us to hear from Him specifically. God knows I rarely watch TV news. So listen to this.

While getting the pedicure, I heard a man on the news that was on in the nail salon and tentatively listened to every word. He shared how he had been homeless himself, how the churches in the area were coming together, God had given him a ministry, and that a shelter to house the homeless was opening off Sugar Creek the next day. This was the area the lady stayed near. 

God was letting me know that He positioned me to take care of the lady I met for the day, and He would provide the rest. God never ceases to amaze me. 

Now, you may not be homeless, but in your heart, you may feel the same. All alone in this big world! Just as God provided for the lady’s day, He is providing for you. I don’t know all the details, but HE does. 

God provides for our needs because He says so in His Word. The apostle Paul says, “My God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus.” I believe Him. Jesus told His followers not to worry about what they would eat or drink or wear, but to seek His kingdom first and His righteousness, and then all other things would fall into place (Matthew 6:33). 

God provides comfort as we walk through the desert. He brings encouragement in detailed ways. He goes to extreme measures to encourage and provide for His Sons and Daughters. Our God is described as the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles.”

(Excerpt from GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE…published 2011, Creation House Press)

God bless you!

Deborah Starczewski

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose) 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the miraculous account of God raising my husband from death, healing him from two strokes and two open-heart surgeries. This book will keep you turning the pages and give you faith to believe God for yourself. 

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors 

Many sincere seekers for God are puzzled about what God wants them to do. Man’s traditions and world’s religions are humankind’s attempts to answer this age old question. In John 6:22-29, Jesus’ reply to this question is simple: We must believe on Him whom God has sent.

The crowds began gathering on the shore, waiting to see Jesus. They knew that Jesus and His disciples had come over together and that the disciples had gone off in their boat, leaving Jesus behind. Several boats from Tiberius landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. When the crowd saw that Jesus wasn’t there, nor his disciples, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. When they arrived and found him, they asked, “Teacher, how did you get here?” 

Jesus replied, “The truth is, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you saw the miraculous sign. But you shouldn’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose.” 

They replied, “What does God want us to do?”

Jesus told them, “This is what God wants you to do; Believe in the one he has sent.” 

The first step is accepting that Jesus is who He claims to be. It’s imperative for our spiritual development to know who we are IN CHRIST and WHO HE IS. 

Satisfying God does not come from the work we do but from whom we believe. 

In this passage, Jesus criticized the people who only followed Him for the temporal and physical benefits and not for the satisfying of their spiritual hunger. In this world many are driven by ambition, prestige, power, and performance and use religion to gain prestige, comfort, or even political votes…which are all self-centered motives. 

We must know in our hearts that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), and embark on our life and spiritual journey of belief that is pleasing and satisfying to our Creator. Jesus is the true Bread from heaven. 

It’s not about a head knowledge, it’s a heart change. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. (See 1 Samuel 16:7)

If you keep on reading in John 6:30-40, we learn that Jesus did not work independently of God the Father but in union with Him. His purpose was to do the will of God, not to satisfy human desires. 

People eat bread to sustain physical life and satisfy physical hunger. We can sustain spiritual life and satisfy spiritual hunger only by a right relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s not about man’s traditions or world’s religions; it’s about a relationship with Jesus Himself. There is no wonder Jesus called himself the Bread of Life. 

Bread must be eaten to sustain life, and Jesus Christ must be invited into our daily walk to sustain spiritual life. 

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life—that I should raise them at the last day.” 

Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ will be resurrected from physical death to everlasting life with God when Christ comes again (see 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). 

Oh, what a glorious day that will be. 

If you have never been born-again, now is the time to believe on Jesus. It’s not too late while you have breath in your lungs. Cry out to Him now. He is waiting on you to receive the gift of eternal life through believing in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of God gives spiritual life. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we cannot even see or recognize our need for new life (John 14:17). Thank GOD for the Holy Spirit……who convicts the world of sin. 

Love,

Deborah Starczewski

Books for encouragement by Dr. Deborah Starczewski:

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed And Know Your Purpose)

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the full account of God raising my husband from death, healing him from two strokes and two open-heart surgeries. The miraculous account will keep you turning the pages and give you faith to believe God for anything.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)…. a must read for all.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors

If you will choose to love people right where they are—love will light the way. Everyone is on their own journey in life. How does God see a young mother who is struggling with rage, or a young father who is struggling with his temper? How does God view a child who is crying out for help with pain from being bullied at school? 

Jesus paid the price in full for sin—and it is nailed to the cross. God has rescued us from any possibility of a curse. The Bible says so and that settles it. Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrong-doing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree”’ (Galatians 3:13). 

That is great news my friends. The powerful truths found in God’s Word are life sustaining and enable us to extend the same life to people who are distraught and caught in the tangled web of sin—no matter if it is their own doing, or someone else’s. None of us have arrived–we have all fallen short of the glory of God. 

When a person knows that someone cares about them, no matter the distance, it’s like a breath of fresh air and rest for the soul. Confession is good for the soul and brings healing. Choose to be a safe place for others to share their hurts so they can move forward to healing. A safe place is where the intent of the heart is for healing and restoration. 

Many Christians wonder will God ever answer their prayers–to heal a relationship, repair a marriage, to bring back a prodigal child, to heal a sibling, to save a lost parent. Many times after we pray, things seem to get worse rather than improve. I’ve got great news– be reassured in the fact that your heavenly Father is at work behind the scenes on your behalf and in the lives for whom you are praying. 

It is time to plant hope in others through Jesus Christ—the Blessed Hope. Learn to love people right where they are in life. If you don’t know how to help them, ask God. He will lead you in the right direction. 

You can’t clean a fish till you catch it ….and God doesn’t expect us to get cleaned up before we come to Him. (That is the beauty of God’s grace and mercy). Choose to intentionally extend grace and mercy to those in need of help. 

God extends open arms to all. Don’t live another day thinking, that just maybe, because one trial hits right after the next, that your life is off course. Take time to turn to God’s Word and read about the trials and tribulations of those who submitted their lives fully to Jesus and followed Him. It wasn’t a rose garden with sweet smelling flowers perfectly lining a yellow brick road. 

God uses our trials and tribulations to prepare us to receive the blessings of His divine favor. He uses trials to position us in new platforms to touch the masses in need of a Savior—His name is JESUS!

Let me tell you one more thing—one of my favorite verses. I remember over twenty years ago how the Holy Spirit led me to a special service at a specific church and I heard a speaker share this verse: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). I will never forget that day—hearing that man say, “God changed the entire order of this service for someone to hear this word tonight.”  That is the amazing love of our heavenly Father. Don’t you dare give up. Don’t you dare stop short of all God has for you—keep moving forward IN CHRIST! 

Don’t fall for the trap of Satan and don’t believe his lies. Don’t listen to religious spirits or those who point fingers—turn to our loving Heavenly Father that has open arms for you. Turn to God and His Word—our map for success in life. 

You can become a world changer. God has removed every barrier and limitation to reveal the fullness of His glory in Jesus. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Everything we need comes from God’s presence, and He does not withhold it from us. Choose to renew your mind in the Word of God–read and pray God’s Word.  It’s the only way to experience the transformation God promised in Christ. The River of Life–only found in God–is at work in us to draw the world to JESUS. 

Jesus Christ blesses all who believe in Him with rivers of living water so that we are satisfied in Him and can be a source of blessing and refreshing to others. 

Choose to be fully committed to Jesus. He has great things for you to do WITH HIM. You may be the very one that delivers the greatest love letter ever written–the Bible–to someone in need this upcoming week. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be more sensitive to His guidance. He will answer that prayer!

HIS love and mine, 

Deborah

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)….. how to move from drama to destiny, pain to purpose, and a mess to a message.

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the full account of God’s divine intervention, resurrection power, and miracles on a daily basis….you will be changed forever. 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)… a must read for every leader.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors

SHIFT HAPPENS (Anthology – with other authors – available on Amazon—-click on Dr. Deborah Starczewski